Pool Table Rules - Official Pool Game Rules

Women in Billiard

Women have been playing billiard since the early history of the game. Nevertheless, the number of women who play billiard games, professionally and recreationally, increased during the recent years.

Women in the History of Billiard

When the . became fashionable among the 15th French aristocracy, it was not an exclusively dominated by men. However, their shooting skills were not highly appreciated; women were not allowed to use the earliest variation of the cue stick. Apparently, women billiard players were considered to be too clumsy to shoot the balls with the cue stick without poking the table cloth to death.

First Known Woman Billiard Player

The first known woman billiard player is Frances Anderson from Indiana. She played in hundreds of billiard and in America and Europe during the first decades of the 20th century and beat every female billiard player and many of her male opponents. However, at the peak of her career Anderson revealed her unbelievable secret and the fact that she was actually a man.

Pioneer Women Billiard Players

May Kaarlus is regarded as the first woman whose field of expertise was performance of billiard trick shots. Kaarlus has been exhibiting a series of in New York City at the 1900s in front of crowds of amazed spectators.

Back in the 1930s, Ruth McGinnis, a teacher of children with special needs from Pennsylvania won the world women champion in straight pool for eight years in a row. McGinnis used to join pocket billiard legend Willie Mosconi in tours and exhibitions throughout the United States.

Notable Woman in Billiard Today

11-times world champion Allison Fisher is a 9-ball pool whose resume includes an impressive pro snooker career, which includes entrance to the male snooker ranking. Known as The Duchess of Doom, had earned not only the respect of the professional pool circle, but also the highest incomes of all pro pool players, males and females.

Ireland native Karen Corr aka The Irish Invader is ranked number 2 in the woman pool players ranking. In her past as a pro snooker player Corr won two world championships. Corr broke a record by becoming the first pool player who won in all of the pool tournaments included in the WPBA Classic tour.

Jeanette Lee aka The Black Widow is one of the most notable women pro players in our days. Her long list of titles includes the US Open 9-ball champion, BCA Open 9-ball champion, Trick Shot Magic champion and many more. Lately, Lee replaced 9-ball pool with speed pool, a single player pool game, where she competes against male pool players. In 2008, Lee will be representing the USA in the Women's 9-ball Pool Championship.